Archive for March, 2009
Pretty impressive article from the Charlotte Observer considering that Bell always seemed to hate Kobe. I guess there really is at least a little bit of respect there. It’s kinda like the closing scene from Anchorman when Vince Vaughnn tells Will Ferrell that deep down, he absolutely hates him, “but damn it, do I respect you.”
Props to Bell for stepping up and paying respect where it’s due.
Q: How would you explain to someone who knows nothing about basketball what makes Kobe transcendent?
“That he can do anything. Some guys are really, really good at one thing. Or two or three things. So you might say, ‘Let him take that jump shot (to guard against the drive).’
“He’s good at everything and he has this knack for being right on the spot with (crucial) plays. He could go 2-for-30 and in the last two minutes of a game, if he has the ball, his percentages go up to 75 percent.”
Q: So what are the guiding principles of guarding him?
“You’ve got to keep him off the free throw line, try to make him shoot 18 foot-plus jumpers with a hand in his face. Try to make him work to get the ball – don’t let him get it where he wants it.”
Q: And where, in particular, does he want the ball?
“He’s great, so his sweet spot is all over the place. But you want to try to make him catch it beyond the 3-point line by a couple of steps so he’s got to use more effort to get a good look up. Still, he likes to catch it anywhere – he just likes the ball, so anywhere is a danger spot for him.”
Q: What’s his pet move?
“His pull-up jumper, particularly when guys are underneath him, pawing at the ball (trying to get a steal). He likes to square you up and he goes into either a jab(-step) jumper or one hard dribble and it’s pretty much unguardable.”
Q: Any effective way to deny him the ball?
“Now that he’s got guys around him (Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom), maybe if (you) completely deny him, someone else will take the onus on himself. But he’s good enough in their system that even if you deny it, he’ll find a way to counter it with a backdoor (pass). You do want to deny him, but there’s no way you’re going to keep him from catching it, period.”
Q: Gerald Wallace says it’s imperative to make him work hard defensively, to try to wear him down. Thoughts?
“You want to make him work, but he’s one of the best defenders in the league. I’ve made him work, and seen other guys make him work at (the defensive) end, and he’s still ended up with 50. So I don’t know that there’s a whole lot to that.”
Q: Ever get frustrated guarding such a versatile scorer?
“Not anymore. When I first started (guarding) him, I wanted to stop everybody on every play. It got a bit discouraging. But after you’ve been around the league, you realize there’s no way you can stop guys completely. You have to have a short memory. Strap in and be ready, because it’s really a possession-at-a-time thing with him.”
Q: What’s he like when he’s frustrated?
“I’ve seen him get angry, get heated, but mostly that’s because he’s ultra-competitive. There have been very few times I’ve seen him really lose his composure to a point where he can’t help his team win a game.”
Q: Is he better or worse when angry?
“Depends on what kind of anger; if he’s angry at who he’s playing against, better. If he’s angry at an official, or something else has him off a bit, that could work into his opponent’s hands.”
A friend found this on Larry Brown Sports and sent it to me:
Are you serious Smush? And where are you even playing this year? You probably shouldn’t be talking when you were one of the major reasons that the Lakers had problems. Notice that they got a LOT better when you were gone and they got Derek Fisher back?
You were/are a lazy bastard that played defense only when he felt like it. Actually, you didn’t really play much offense either. And I don’t know if the Lakers’ problems begin and end with Kobe. Once again, the Lakers are playing and have been playing much better since you fell off the map.
Here’s the transcript that Larry Brown Sports had. Tough to understand a guy the mumbles so damn much.
“Playing for the Lakers was an overrated experience. Phil Jackson was great. I don’t care what the media says, they said I had a problem with Phil Jackson. The problem was never with Phil Jackson — it was with your boy, 24 — formerly known as KB. The problem with that team starts with him and ends with him. The reason why I say overrated is because everyone thinks playing with Kobe Bryant was the best thing since sliced bread but it’s not. Out to Miami with the Big Fella, Shaq Diesel, one of the greatest guys I’ve had a chance to play with and meet. Really down to Earth, really cool off the court.”
Smush, you don’t even understand how happy the Laker nation was when we found out that you were leaving. Good riddance, you poor excuse for lockerroom cancer.
I told you I’d be back with the pics and details about the shoes. Check it. This is straight from Adidas. I have no idea how these are only $80. They look absolutely sick, especially the Louisville Reds. Get noticed the next time you step on the court. Check these out at Adidas.com
For the 2009 NCAA Tournament, adidas Basketball is introducing a new court shoe designed to keep adidas’ elite schools lighter and cooler during crucial tournament play.
- ClimaCool upper and midsole for 360 degree cooling and ventilation
- Inserted mesh lining provide enhanced breathability
- Custom colors and logo styles for UCLA, Kansas, Louisville*
- Additional non-logo Mad Clima footwear available in multiple colors
- Full patent uppers
* Logo shoes not permitted for on-court Tournament play
Louisville Red Mad Climas:
Mad Climas in KU blue:
UCLA Blue and Gold Mad Climas:
A few other options:
This is just a little something from Adidas. Thanks for having me be a part of this launch, Adidas!
They’ve launched a series of videos with NBA stars KG, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and TMac. These 4 guys skipped college and went straight to the Pros, but check our what they’d look like if they went to college… except a few years later. Check this shiz out.
Also, for the Tourney, Adidas is releasing a new line called “Mad Clima.” I’m diggin’ the name and the gear. Check out the Mad Climas on their site, www.adidasbasketball.com.
These shoes are just straight off the chains. I’m looking forward to seeing these in action. And are you kidding me? $80 for these? Check out the upcoming post for pictures and details about The Mad Climas. One word… SICK!
KG goes to UCLA:
It’s Brotherhood time!
D Howard becomes a Jayhawk:
This guy is freakin hilarious! I swear he’s a 15 yr old in a grown man’s body. Hoooooward!
J Smoove representing Pitt:
Kinda weird, but he just looks right in a Pitt jersey.
TMac rollin’ with Louisville:
Please believe it! Can’t wait to see you back on the court TMac. Get your body right and we’ll see you next year rippin’ on people.
It’s a tough call on this one. If you haven’t seen the foul, it’s right below. It didn’t look like Rudy was above the rim. Actually, it looked more like he was just taking off. Either way, it was a hard foul. A flagrant foul in general is to be assessed when there’s excessive, and unnecessary force. In this situation, Ariza went directly for the ball, but caught Fernandez’s head and arm. It was the shot on the arm that seemed to really cauz Rudy to land the way he did. Yes, there was contact on the head, but it didn’t look like that was what caused the awkward landing.
In my opinion, the foul should have been called and play should have continued. At most, a Flagrant 1 could have been assessed and I would have been OK with that. A Flagrant 2 seems a bit much. It was a hard foul, and unfortunately a player got injured on the play. There are hard fouls across the league on a nightly basis, and players are getting hurt left and right. It’s an unfortunate part of the business.
I’m hoping that the league reviews this ruling carefully. Here’s also to hoping that Fernandez comes back soon, and comes back strong and ready to go. This is a young Portland team that can definitely use him. Most importantly, though, is the Rudy comes back 100% healthy.
Aww man. I found this off Ball Don’t Lie from The Puns are Starting to Bore Me. This video is just too funny not to post. Dwight Howard may be the biggest kid in the league. He’s what makes the league fun to watch. We definitely need more guys like him.
The look on Gortat’s face when he’s listen to Robert Horry… aka Fresh Prince is jsut classic. This guy has no idea what’s going on.
Alright, David. I’ve seen this promotion before, but this has got to be one of your worst marketing ideas ever. Los Lakers, Los Spurs, Los Heat, and Los Suns? Are you kidding me? You’re using this to market to the Hispanic community, but you do realize that putting Los in front of a name doesn’t make it Spanish right?
Please think of a better marketing scheme. I wouldn’t be nearly as annoyed if you tried to translate the team names, but got the translation wrong. At least in that case, I can say that you tried. This is jsut an obviously poorly thought out idea.
Rather than attracting the Hispanic community, I think you may have just alienated them by obviously only pretending to care. It’s fairly transparent that you are only trying to make more money by selling these terible jerseys. One issue though. These jerseys don’t sell. I don’t think I’ve seen a single person walking down the street in a Los Lakers jersey.
I would wish you good luck with this marketing idea, but inside, I secretly (the secret is out) hope this idea fails. I never ever want to see any team be forced to wear a jersey with the word Los in front of their team name.
Edit - Don’t forget that the name of this “promotion” is Noche Latina… Latin Night. Ummm, aren’t you running this thing for the entire MONTH? Shouldn’t it be called Noches Latinas (3 years of high school Spanish, and I’m still not sure if that’s correct). Also, commercials in Spanish? Who the hell even cares? Good job duping Carl’s Jr and El Pollo Loco into spending money on terrible advertisements.
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Just some thoughts on happenings around the league, responses to the media and other bloggers, and just a good place for you to spend time instead of actually working.
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